House Will Try to Override Biden on Protecting Wetlands

Presidents almost always prevail when they veto legislation; there have been only 20 overrides in the 45 years since Gerald Ford left office. So Republican leaders in Congress face an uphill struggle against the Biden administration’s “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) regulation. Nonetheless, the House could vote as early as Tuesday in a rematch with President Biden.

It would be the second time the House has voted on Republican-sponsored H.J.Res.27, which would excise the current WOTUS rule. Biden vetoed the so-called resolution of disagreement on April 6. A two-thirds majority is needed in the House and Senate to overcome a veto.

“With the upcoming vote to override the president’s veto, every member of the House has the opportunity to fix this issue and ensure that all states get the relief they deserve from the administration’s overreaching WOTUS rule,” said Republican Reps. Sam Graves of Missouri and David Rouzer of North Carolina in a joint statement last week. Graves, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, is the lead sponsor of the resolution. Rouzer chairs one of the Transportation subcommittees.

In a list of legislation facing action this week in the House, Majority Leader Steve Scalise said an override vote on WOTUS “may be considered” on Tuesday.

Three weeks ago, the House failed to override Biden’s first veto as president in a dispute over a Labor Department rule allowing retirement plans to consider environmental, social and governance factors when making investments so long as it did not mean lower returns or greater risks. Republicans used the same approach, a resolution of disagreement, H.J.Res.30, as they used against WOTUS, to try to shelve the rule. The March 23 vote to override was a party-line 219-200 roll call, well short of two-thirds, and little different than the original 216-204 vote on the resolution.

The House passed the WOTUS resolution, 227-198, and the Senate vote was 53-43 in favor. Republicans hold a 222-213 majority in the House. Democrats control the Senate, 51-49.

In vetoing H.J.Res.27, Biden said his administration’s WOTUS rule “provides clear rules of the road that will help advance infrastructure projects, economic investments, and agricultural activities — all while protecting water quality and public health.” By contrast, H.J.Res.27 would leave the nation with without a clear definition of clean water protections, he said.



Source: agriculture.com

Photo Credit: pexels-Puwadon Sang-ngern